Every June,
the Knights of the Garter gather at Windsor Castle, where new
knights take the oath and are invested with the insignia. A lunch
is given in the Waterloo Chamber, after which the knights process
to a service in St George's Chapel, wearing their blue velvet
robes (with the badge of the Order - St George's Cross within the
Garter surrounded by radiating silver beams - on the left
shoulder) and black velvet hats with white plumes. The Queen
(whose father George VI appointed her and her husband to the
Order in 1947), as Sovereign of the Order, attends the service
along with other members of the Royal family in the Order,
including The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The
Queen's daughter, The Princess Royal.

First a
Chapter meeting is held in the throne room of the castle, at
which The Queen invests new Companions with the Garter insignia.

The Queen
is accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the
Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent, with
Knights Companions and officers of the Order.

After the
meeting, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh entertain members
and officers of the Order to lunch in the Waterloo Chamber.

The Queen
and the other members of the company then assemble in St George's
Hall, marshalled by one of the heralds, before walking through
the upper, middle and lower wards of the castle to St George's
Chapel.

All wear
the Garter's traditional flowing blue velvet robes, hoods of red
velvet worn over the right shoulder, and black velvet hats with
white feathers.

A fanfare
of trumpets announces the arrival on foot of the main procession,
led by the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and the
Military Knights of Windsor.

Bands of
the Household Division play as the procession passes dismounted
squadrons of the Household Cavalry, lining the route in their
scarlet ceremonial uniforms.

After the
chapel service, which is relayed via loudspeakers to the crowds,
there is an open-carriage procession back up the hill.

There are
never more than 24 Knights Companion plus The Royal Knights.

The
Order of the Garter is the most senior and the
oldest British Order of Chivalry and was founded by
Edward III in 1348. The Order, consisting of the King and
twenty-five knights, was intended by Edward III to be
reserved as the highest reward for loyalty and for
military merit. Like The Prince of Wales (the Black
Prince), the other founder-knights had all served in the
French campaigns of the time, including the battle of
Crécy - three were foreigners who had previously sworn
allegiance to the English king: four of the knights were
under the age of 20 and few were much over the age of 30.

The origin
of the emblem of the Order, a blue garter, is obscure. It
is said to have been inspired by an incident which took
place whilst the King danced with Joan, Countess of
Salisbury. The Countess's garter fell to the floor and
after the King retrieved it he tied it to his own leg.
Those watching this were apparently amused, but the King
admonished them saying, 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'
(Shame on him who thinks this evil). This then became the
motto of the Order. Modern scholars think it is more
likely that the Order was inspired by the strap used to
attach pieces of armour, and that the motto could well
have referred to critics of Edward's claim to the throne
of France.

The patron
saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers
and also of England) and the spiritual home of the Order
is St George's Chapel, Windsor. Every knight is required
to display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, together
with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled
stallplate. These 'achievements' are taken down on the
knight's death (and the insignia are returned to the
Sovereign), but the stallplates remain as a memorial and
these now constitute one of the finest collections of
heraldry in the world.

The
insignia of the Order have developed over the centuries:
starting with a garter and badge depicting St George and
the Dragon. A collar was added in the sixteenth century,
and the star and broad riband in the seventeenth century.
Although the collar could not be decorated with precious
stones (the statutes forbid it), the other insignia could
be decorated according to taste and affordability. George
IV, well-known for his vanity, left 55 different Garter
badges of varying styles.

Over the
years, a number of knights have been 'degraded' (for the
crimes of heresy, treason or cowardice), the most recent
example being the Duke of Ormond in 1715, or even
executed - such as Lord Scrope of Masham (a childhood
friend of Henry V), and the Duke of Buckingham in 1622.
Charles I wore his Order (ornamented with over 400
diamonds) to his execution in 1649.

From the
eighteenth century to 1946, appointments to the Order
(and to the Order of the Thistle) were made on advice
from government. Today, the Order has returned to its
original function as a mark of royal favour; Knights of
the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to
honour those who have held public office, who have
contributed in a particular way to national life or who
have served the Sovereign personally. The number of
knights is limited to 24 plus royal knights. For much of
its history, the Garter was limited to the aristocracy,
but today the knights are from varied backgrounds. If
there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are
announced on St George's Day (23 April).

During the
Middle Ages ladies were associated with the Order,
although unlike today they did not enjoy full membership.
One of the last medieval ladies to be honoured was Lady
Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and grandmother of
Henry VIII. After her death in 1509 the Order remained
exclusively male, except for reigning queens as Sovereign
of the Order, until 1901 when Edward VII made Queen
Alexandra a lady of the Order. In 1987, The Queen decided
that women should be eligible for the Garter in the same
way as men. Women are therefore included in this number
and currently Lady Thatcher (formerly Margaret Thatcher,
first female Prime Minister of Great Britain) holds this
honour.

Since the
early fourteenth century, foreign monarchs have been
appointed to the Order, as a means of marking and
securing alliances - one of the earliest such
appointments was that of the Duke of Urbino by Edward IV
in 1474. Such appointments were and are occasionally made
to non-Christian rulers (for example, the Shah of Persia
in 1902), which prompted some debate over removing
Christian imagery (the cross of St George) from the Order
when it is given to non-Christian recipients; in the end,
the design remained unchanged. Foreign monarchs in the
Order are known as 'Stranger Knights'. These knights are
in addition to the number allowed by statute, and they
include the kings of Spain and Sweden and the emperor of
Japan.

The next
Garter Service will take place on Monday 17th June 2019.
A limited number of tickets is available for members of the
public to stand inside the precincts of Windsor Castle and watch
the procession to St. George's Chapel. Apply by sending a letter
(including a stamped self-addressed envelope) between 1 January
and 1 March 2019 to: The Superintendent, Windsor Castle, Windsor,
Berkshire SL4 1NJ or email: garterday.info@royal.gsx.gov.uk. A ballot is held and successful
applicants are notified. Applicants can request up to four
tickets each. Please indicate on your application, if you or a
member of your party are a disabled wheelchair user.

Please note: This
is not an official website. Please check official sources for up
to date information about military events.
The HQ London District official webpage is at: www.householddivision.org.uk